The A2 eastbound shuts overnight from Dartford Heath to Darenth until 3 October. The QEII Bridge shuts 9.30pm to 9am on 3 October, then on 24 and 31 October.
Six things are worth knowing about Dartford roadworks before you drive or catch a train this week:
- The A2 eastbound closes from Dartford Heath to the Darenth Interchange on three more nights: Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September, 10pm to 5.30am, and Friday 2 October, 11pm to 6am, for resurfacing
- The QEII Bridge shuts completely on Saturday 3 October, from 9.30pm to 9am. Then 24 October and 31 October. National Highways is replacing bridge bearings
- The west tunnel closes at 9pm every night to Friday 2 October, and the Junction 1a northbound entry slip goes with it
- Princes View and Brentlands Drive are still shut for gas main work. Brentlands Drive is due back by about 5 October, Princes View by 12 October
- Edwin Road in Wilmington closes from Thursday 1 October for up to two days, and three more Kent County Council closures follow in mid October
- From 7 October, National Highways intends to close parts of the A282 for about seven months of nights. See our full story on the intended order
Everything below was rechecked today, Tuesday 29 September, against the National Highways seven-day closure report covering 28 September to 4 October (updated on 28 September), the A282 maintenance page (still on its 18 September update), Kent County Council’s traffic notices on the Public Notice Portal, and Southeastern’s engineering pages. Overnight closures change at short notice, so confirm before a late-night journey.
The A2 eastbound: resurfacing nights have moved
This is the closure most likely to catch Dartford drivers out this week, because it is not on the crossing and not on the A282 project page.
The dates have changed since last week’s report. That report listed Monday to Wednesday. The report updated on 28 September no longer lists Monday night, and adds Friday. It now shows the A2 eastbound carriageway closed from Dartford Heath to the Darenth Interchange on:
- Tuesday 29 September, 10pm to 5.30am
- Wednesday 30 September, 10pm to 5.30am
- Friday 2 October, 11pm to 6am
The report says the diversion runs via local authority and National Highways roads. It does not name the route. In practice that means leaving the A2 before Dartford Heath, so expect heavier late-night traffic through the town if you live near the A2 approaches.
Other slip roads close nearby, each overnight:
- Tuesday 29 September: the M25 anti-clockwise Junction 2 exit slip, 10pm to 5.30am, for technology work, and the A20 westbound Swanley Interchange entry slip, 10pm to 5.30am
- Friday 2 October: the M25 clockwise Junction 31 entry slip in Thurrock, 10pm to 5.30am, for urgent safety fence repairs
Further east, in Gravesham, the A2 eastbound entry slips at Ebbsfleet (Tuesday 29 September) and Pepperhill (Wednesday 30 September) close from 9pm to 6am for survey work.
Saturday 3 October: the whole bridge, for 12 hours
National Highways’ 18 September update says it is renewing “some of the bridge bearings on the QEII bridge” and needs “more extended overnight closures up to end October”. The last one was on Saturday 26 September. Three Saturday nights are left:
- Saturday 3 October
- Saturday 24 October
- Saturday 31 October
The project page gives each as 9pm to 9am. For 3 October the seven-day report is more exact, and the closures are staggered:
- 9pm: the east tunnel closes to northbound traffic, so it can carry the southbound contraflow
- 9.15pm: the M25 clockwise Junction 31 entry slip in Thurrock closes
- 9.30pm: the QEII Bridge closes, from Junction 31 to Junction 1a
All three reopen at 9am on Sunday 4 October. Southbound traffic is sent through the east tunnel. Northbound traffic uses the west tunnel, and the report is explicit that there is “no access over Dartford Crossing for vehicles over 4.8m” that night.
The crossing: what is shut, night by night
The weekly cycle carries on: west tunnel on weeknights, bridge on the Saturday, east tunnel on the Sunday.
| Night | Closed | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 29 Sept to Fri 2 Oct | West tunnel, northbound, with the Junction 1a northbound entry slip | 9pm to 5.30am |
| Sat 3 Oct | East tunnel to northbound traffic from 9pm; QEII Bridge closed completely from 9.30pm. No crossing over 4.8m | 9pm to 9am |
| Sun 4 Oct | East tunnel, northbound. No access for vehicles over 4.8m | 10.30pm to 5.30am |
Every row comes from National Highways’ seven-day closure report for 28 September to 4 October. It agrees with the A282 maintenance page for every night, apart from giving the bridge a 9.30pm start rather than 9pm.
The Junction 1a slip road goes with the tunnel
The project page leaves this out, and it matters if you join the A282 in Dartford rather than crossing it. On every west tunnel night to Friday 2 October, the seven-day report lists the A282 northbound Junction 1a entry slip road as closed at the same times, 9pm to 5.30am. Junction 1a is the Princes Road junction. If you normally join the northbound A282 there late at night, you will be sent on to another junction.
The height limit: the weekend is what matters
The east tunnel takes the tallest vehicles. When it closes, the closure report is explicit that there is “no access over Dartford Crossing for vehicles over 4.8m”. This week that applies on Saturday 3 October, 9pm to 9am, and Sunday 4 October, 10.30pm to 5.30am. On west tunnel nights high vehicles are unaffected, because the east bore stays open.
The QEII Bridge cable stays
Separately from the bearing work, the bridge’s steel cable stays were due to be refurbished between April and September 2026, with overnight lane closures from 9pm to 6am. At least one lane stays open through the night on those (National Highways). The project page has not yet said whether that work has finished on time.
From 7 October: seven months of night closures
The bearing work finishes at the end of October. Something much longer starts before it does. We rechecked the portal today, 29 September: the order is still listed as intended, and no made order has been published yet.
National Highways advertised an intended order in the Thurrock Gazette on 17 September, reference NH/SE/2026/A282/70. It would authorise closing both carriageways of the A282 between Junction 2 and Junction 30, and all their slip roads, for about seven months starting on or after Wednesday 7 October 2026. The notice puts the estimated end at 7 May 2027 (Public Notice Portal).
The maximum nightly windows in the notice are:
- Sunday to Thursday, 8.30pm to 6am
- Friday and Saturday, 8pm to 10am, plus “an extended period over the weekend”
It also imposes a 50mph limit on both carriageways between those junctions and a 4.8m height restriction whenever the west bore is closed. We have set out what it covers, and what “intended” means here, in our full story.
Brentlands Drive and Princes View: still shut
Neither is a night job and neither is on the crossing, which is why they catch residents out.
Kent County Council has made an order closing Brentlands Drive and Princes View, DA1 1RT, for their entire lengths, for gas main replacement:
- Brentlands Drive closed on 7 September, with completion estimated by 5 October
- Princes View closed on Monday 21 September, with completion estimated by 12 October
(Kent County Council notice, dated 4 September 2026)
The notice is blunt about the alternative: “There are no alternative routes but access will be maintained when safe to do so.” Residents should expect to be let in and out around the works rather than routed anywhere.
Kent County Council: the latest closures
Kent County Council published a new Dartford batch dated 25 September, the first since 3 September (Kent County Council notice). All are short utility jobs. In date order:
| Road | From | For | Where, and why | Alternative route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanscombe Street, Swanscombe | Mon 28 Sept | Up to 2 days, 9.30am to 3pm | Outside numbers 7 and 9; telegraph pole replacement | Stanhope Road, Albert Road, Church Road |
| Dale Road, Southfleet | Tue 29 Sept | Up to 4 days | B262 Station Road to the entrance to Haydon Cross House; Thames Water | B262 Station Road, New Barn Road, B260 Main Road, B255 Whitehill Road, Hook Green Road |
| Edwin Road, Wilmington | Thu 1 Oct | Up to 2 days | Outside number 2; telegraph pole replacement | Albert Road, B258 High Road, Martin Road |
| B255 High Street, Greenhithe | Tue 13 Oct | Up to 3 days, 9.30am to 3.30pm | Between numbers 12 and 18; Openreach | B255 The Avenue, Eagles Road, B255 Station Road |
| Pescot Avenue, Longfield | Thu 15 Oct | Up to 2 days | Outside Rosslyn; telegraph pole replacement | None; access given when safe |
| Lower Hythe Street, Dartford | Sat 17 Oct | Up to 2 days | Outside Steam Crane Wharf; UK Power Networks | None; access given when safe |
The orders for Swanscombe Street, Dale Road and Edwin Road have been made. The three October ones are still intended, so their dates can move. Each date is “on or after”, so a closure can start later than listed.
Southfleet is in Gravesham borough, about three miles east of Longfield.
Summerhill Road: two-way traffic proposed
A separate notice in the same week proposes a permanent change. Kent County Council wants to revoke the one-way on two short stretches of Summerhill Road in Dartford and allow traffic both ways:
- from a point 10 metres north of Miskin Road to Trinity Gardens
- from a point 8 metres east of Trinity Gardens
Objections must explain the impact on traffic to count. They close at 12 noon on Monday 19 October, through the council’s highways consultations page (Kent County Council notice).
Resurfacing: eight local roads, dates signed on site
Kent County Council’s proposal covering 18 months of carriageway patching and surface treatment took effect on or after Monday 21 September 2026. Where crews are working, the speed limit drops to 40mph on the approach and 20mph through the site, and the 20mph stays for up to seven days after the work finishes. A second order lets the council close each road to through traffic while it works (Kent County Council notice).
Eight stretches are listed under the council’s Dartford area:
- Darenth Road, Dartford, East Hill to Dene Road. Diversion via the A226 East Hill, A296 Park Road, A225 Princes Road
- Wellcome Avenue, Dartford, Trevithick Drive to Sharp Way. Diversion via Trevithick Drive
- Stone Place Road and Church Hill, Greenhithe, the A226 London Road to Elizabeth Street. Diversion via the A226 London Road, Cotton Lane and Elizabeth Street
- Arnolds Lane and Clement Street, Sutton-at-Hone, the A225 Main Road to the bridge over the M25. A long diversion via Ship Lane, Swanley Village Road and the B258 Main Road
- Bramble Avenue, Bean, Beacon Drive to Stonewood. Diversion via Beacon Drive and Stonewood
- Pescot Avenue, Longfield, New Barn Road to The Drive. No alternative route on the adopted highway network
- Joydens Wood Road, Summerhouse Drive to Tile Kiln Lane. No alternative route on the adopted highway network
- Park Corner Road, Southfleet, Station Road to Foxhounds Lane. Diversion via Station Road and Foxhounds Lane
Two of the eight are outside Dartford borough. The council’s highway area is not the same shape as the council area: its own notice labels Joydens Wood Road as Bexley, and Southfleet sits in Gravesham.
No individual dates are published. The order says the programme runs for up to 18 months, that dates will be published in advance, and that signs will go up on site 14 days before work starts on each road. Watch for the signs rather than the calendar.
Trains: the late nights, then three October weekends
Wednesday 30 September to Friday 2 October, from 00.15 until the end of service, buses replace trains between Lewisham and Dartford or Gravesend via Bexleyheath and Woolwich Arsenal. Trains are diverted via Sidcup instead. This only affects the very last trains of the night.
Saturday 3 October: Southeastern lists no engineering work affecting Dartford.
Sunday 4 October is the one to plan around. Two separate jobs overlap:
- Charing Cross to Dartford and Gravesend via Sidcup will not run. Lines are closed between Lewisham and Hither Green, and between Sidcup and Dartford. Replacement buses run Lewisham to Dartford via Sidcup
- Victoria to Dartford and Gravesend via Bexleyheath will not run, because of work around Denmark Hill
- extra trains run between Charing Cross and Gravesend via Bexleyheath to cover both
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October: no trains to or from London Charing Cross or Waterloo East all weekend. For Dartford:
- Charing Cross to Dartford via Bexleyheath does not run
- on the Saturday, four extra trains an hour run between Cannon Street and Dartford via Greenwich
- on the Sunday, Cannon Street to Slade Green via Greenwich runs London Bridge to Dartford instead
- the Sidcup line runs only two trains an hour between Sidcup and Dartford
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October: lines are closed between Lewisham and Sidcup all weekend. For Dartford:
- Charing Cross to Dartford via Sidcup does not run
- Charing Cross to Gravesend via Sidcup runs only between Sidcup and Gravesend
- replacement buses run between Lewisham and Sidcup
- on the Saturday, extra trains run between Charing Cross and Dartford via Bexleyheath
(Southeastern, including its planned works summary for 21 September to 18 October)
What it means for you
Driving east on the A2 late on Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. The carriageway from Dartford Heath to the Darenth Interchange is shut from 10pm (11pm on Friday). Leave the A2 earlier, or travel before the closure starts. Monday night is no longer listed.
Driving north on a weeknight. The west tunnel goes at 9pm, to Friday 2 October. If you join at Junction 1a, that slip road shuts with it.
Saturday 3 October. Do not plan a crossing between 9pm and 9am the next morning. Southbound traffic is sent through the east tunnel. The same applies on 24 and 31 October.
If you drive anything over 4.8m. Saturday 3 October from 9pm to 9am, and Sunday 4 October from 10.30pm to 5.30am.
Getting to London by train next Sunday. Neither the Sidcup line from Charing Cross nor the Victoria service via Bexleyheath runs on 4 October. Use Charing Cross via Bexleyheath, where extra trains run.
If you live in Edwin Road, Wilmington. Your road can close from Thursday 1 October, for up to two days.
Weekends in October by train. Charing Cross is shut on 10 and 11 October, and the Sidcup line to Dartford does not run on 17 and 18 October.
The Dart Charge: what crossing costs
The charge applies 6am to 10pm every day of the year, bank holidays included, and crossings between 10pm and 6am are free (GOV.UK). Almost every closure listed above falls in the free window. The exception is the tail of each Saturday bridge closure, which runs to 9am, so anyone crossing after 6am on the Sunday morning still pays.
A car pays £3.50 per crossing, or £2.80 with a free pre-pay account; motorcycles are free, two-axle goods vehicles pay £4.20 (£3.60 with an account) and vehicles with more than two axles £8.40 (£7.20) (Dart Charge rates). You must pay by midnight the day after you cross or a penalty charge follows.
The deal most locals still miss: the resident discount. People living in the Dartford and Thurrock council areas can pay £25 a year for unlimited crossings, or £12.50 a year for 50 crossings (Dart Charge rates). If you cross more than seven times a year, the £25 option already beats paying per trip.
Why the crossing struggles: the numbers
The crossing was designed for 135,000 vehicles a day. National Highways now puts the figure at more than 180,000 a day, over 50 million a year, and almost 40% of that is freight. At peak times a tunnel is briefly closed on average every 15 minutes to escort dangerous loads through, which the agency says adds up to the equivalent of 27 days of closures a year (National Highways). That is why one broken-down lorry at Junction 1a can back traffic up through the town within minutes, and why overnight works that overrun have produced six-mile tailbacks on the A282 (KentOnline).
Junctions 1a and 1b: yellow-box cameras coming
Kent County Council calls congestion on the A282 at Junctions 1a and 1b “a daily occurrence” and, after a consultation that ran from December 2025 to February 2026, confirmed in March 2026 that it will install ANPR enforcement cameras on six yellow-box junctions, four at Junction 1a and two at Junction 1b, with installation during 2026 (Kent County Council). Once live, blocking those boxes will mean a penalty notice, so leave the exit clear even in crawling traffic.
The Lower Thames Crossing: where it actually stands
The long-promised relief road east of Gravesend was granted development consent on 25 March 2025, and the Government announced funding for it on 16 June 2025 (National Highways). Early work began in March 2026: archaeology near Coalhouse Fort, ground investigations, habitat creation and site compounds near East Tilbury and at Thong near Gravesend. Main construction and tunnelling are due to start in 2028, with the road opening in the early to mid 2030s (National Highways). Until then, the Dartford Crossing carries on as the only Thames road crossing east of London, so the maintenance cycle above is a fact of life here for years yet.
Getting around it: buses, trains and station parking
Fastrack is the borough’s segregated rapid bus network, operated by Go-Ahead. Route A links Dartford town centre with Temple Hill, The Bridge, Crossways, Greenhithe station and Bluewater roughly every 12 minutes during the day. Route B runs from Dartford via Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, Castle Hill and Ebbsfleet International through to Gravesend, from about 5.15am to 11pm (Route A timetable, Route B timetable). When the A282 is stationary, Fastrack’s bus-only sections are usually the quickest way to Bluewater or the hospital.
For the train instead, Dartford has direct services to five London terminals. Times, fares and the last trains home are in our Dartford to London trains guide. If you drive to the station, the Hythe Street car park (194 spaces) is run by APCOA: daily rates run £9.00 to £9.50 on weekdays (£7.20 Saturday, £4.80 Sunday), with a weekly ticket at £38.50 and an annual season at £1,520 (APCOA). Town-centre alternatives and on-street rules are in our parking in Dartford guide.
Where to check live conditions
- National Highways A282 Dartford Crossing works for the tunnel calendar and diversion maps
- National Highways road closure report for the full daily list, refreshed on working days
- Southeastern planned engineering work for the trains, day by day
- Public Notice Portal for Kent County Council’s street-level closure orders
- Dart Charge to pay or set up an account
Sources
- National Highways: A282 Dartford Crossing maintenance and repairs (read 29 September 2026, latest update still dated 18 September: the bridge bearing replacement, the remaining Saturday closures on 3, 24 and 31 October, the night-by-night calendar to 4 October, and the diversion and height restriction)
- National Highways: seven-day road closure report (workbook covering Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October, last updated 28 September at 15.29, downloaded on 29 September: the A2 eastbound Dartford Heath to Darenth Interchange resurfacing nights on 29 and 30 September and 2 October, the west tunnel and Junction 1a slip at 9pm, the Junction 2, Swanley, Junction 31, Ebbsfleet and Pepperhill slip closures, and the east tunnel, Junction 31 and bridge times on 3 October)
- Public Notice Portal: A282 Trunk Road, M25 Junctions 30 to 2, temporary traffic restrictions (National Highways intended order NH/SE/2026/A282/70, published 17 September 2026 in the Thurrock Gazette; rechecked 29 September, no made order yet)
- Kent County Council traffic notice, dated 4 September 2026 (Brentlands Drive and Princes View orders made)
- Kent County Council traffic notice, dated 25 September 2026 (Swanscombe Street, Dale Road, Edwin Road, High Street Greenhithe, Pescot Avenue and Lower Hythe Street)
- Kent County Council notice: Borough of Dartford traffic movements, Amendment No.4 Order 2026 (Summerhill Road one-way revocation, objections by 12 noon on 19 October 2026)
- Kent County Council traffic notice: various roads, Dartford, Gravesham and Sevenoaks (surface treatment speed limits and closures from 21 September, with the schedule of roads and diversions)
- Southeastern: engineering work (page and the planned works summary for 21 September to 18 October, read on 29 September: the late-night buses from 30 September to 2 October, nothing listed for 3 October, the Sidcup line and Denmark Hill closures on 4 October, the Charing Cross closure on 10 and 11 October, and the Lewisham to Sidcup closure on 17 and 18 October)
- GOV.UK: Pay the Dartford Crossing charge and charges (hours, prices, resident discount, rechecked 27 September 2026)
- National Highways: The Dartford Crossing (traffic volumes, dangerous-load closures)
- Kent County Council: A282 Junctions 1a and 1b (congestion, ANPR yellow-box enforcement)
- National Highways: Government funding gives green light and Early work begins on the Lower Thames Crossing (consent, funding, timeline)
- KentOnline: Long tailbacks at Dartford Tunnel as roadworks overrun
- APCOA: Dartford Station car park (station parking tariffs)
- Fastrack Route A and Route B timetables
Closure dates were checked on 29 September 2026 and can change at short notice. Always confirm against National Highways, Southeastern and GOV.UK before you travel. We update this page as major schemes change.
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